Break

A Sequel to “Loop”

It is only when time comes to a standstill that your world begins to move.

A lift, a selfie, a jolt. The lights falter, and darkness saunters in. Amidst the chaos of the everyday, life has paused.

You can hear her breathing, each puff of air magnified. Is she smiling? Is she –

“Sorry,” she laughs, breathless, as Dusty Springfieldʼs voice fills your space, “I figured it was too spooky.”

You nod, and though neither of you can see, she understands.

You’ve never been in this position before. Whenever you were together, it felt like everything else had gone underwater – everyone muted, except for her. However much the world died down, it never died fully - it was always there, pale but present, a background to your story, but a setting nonetheless. This was the first time it had fallen away.

Darkness, lounging on its throne, grins around you, delighting in its might. It has killed the world, leaving only two survivors. Is she far from you? Is she –

“Sorry,” she whispers, as her foot grazes your own, “I didn’t see you there.”

You chuckle, shaking your head. The tension between you is palpable, even though you can’t see each other, but maybe because of it. She is across from you, waiting, waiting…for what?

Just like that, youʼre retreating into old habits: the never ending cycle of countless beginnings; looks that go nowhere; conversations that fizzle up and die; the aching possibilities of something more, something new and forever asking what if, what if, what if…

“If you had –” and though you cannot finish, Dusty speaks for you, her words immortalised in song.

Safe from prying eyes, you bare your heart, and gently, she trades you her own. The space around you pulses with the wait of expectation, all the unfinished moments and time spent yearning hovering between you, and you find yourself leaning in. Will she say it? Will she –

“Sorry,” she murmurs, her voice soft and sweet, “that it took so long. I want to be with you.”

All this time you’ve felt like a record player caught on a groove, stuck in the same loop. Now, as Dusty’s voice fades, silence takes over, a welcome pause before her next hit starts.